Celebrating Women’s History Month with the theme: Choose to Challenge
March is Women’s History Month and we’re celebrating with the theme “Choose to Challenge,” a message of solidarity and allyship. It highlights the roles that all identities can play in challenging norms, stereotypes, and bias. We chatted with Womens@ co-DRIs Chantal Salazar and Tessa Chen about this month’s theme and what they’re choosing to challenge.
What is the theme for this year’s Women’s History month and how did this concept come to be?
Chantal: Our theme this year is “Choose to Challenge.” We actually had a lot of great ideas to choose from — everything from our first Madam VP in the United States, to the role women heads-of-state have played during COVID. “Choose to Challenge” came up because have a global planning team, and it aligns with the International Women’s Day. In the end, we simply did “Paper doc emoji voting” to narrow down a theme and chose “Choose to Challenge”!
It’s been a real honor to work with this group of thoughtful, intelligent Dropboxers on WHM. I’m so glad to have met them, and I’m excited about what we’ve done together. I hope every Dropboxer finds a part of WHM they can connect to, large or small!
Tessa: It’s one of the first years that we’ve aligned with the International Women’s Day theme. Our team is so global and the reach is so broad that we thought it would be a great idea! I can’t remember whose idea it was, but we all were drawn to it and voted for it! We felt like everyone could relate and take action. Incredibly honored to be alongside these brilliant women during WHM, now and always.
What does the theme mean to you as an individual and why is it important for the larger community?
Chantal: Honestly, I think all of our ideas could have worked well. But I’ve really grown to love this one because it’s so action-oriented and very intersectional. Shout-out to our team members from Japan, who highlighted the importance of a theme that everyone can connect to.
Tessa: I loved the simplicity of this month’s theme. It’s a call to action for not only individuals, but also the larger community. I feel strongly that as a society, we can only make progress if we actively challenge what has become the status quo and choose inclusiveness.
By giving people a choice in what they want to challenge, we allow them to make an impact on what’s most meaningful to them, no matter how big or small it is. It’s a deeply personal decision that can be ___________ [insert any adjective (fun, deep, interesting, niche)] that’s scalable to the larger community if we all take steps forward.
What can allies learn from this theme and how can they support it?
Chantal: Well, the great thing is that everyone can make a personal decision about what they want to challenge, either for themselves or others. I think it’s important to keep in mind though, how to challenge, especially when challenging others. My tip would be: envision the change you want to see. Really envision it. Then, share clearly and directly about what the situation is, how it feels or is impacting you, and the kind of change you want to see. Keep it simple and clear, and re-imagine a new outcome!
Tessa: To Chantal’s point, envision the change and take steps toward it! You don’t have to vastly change things overnight, but we can make small changes that can spur a generational shift.
Allies are part of the journey and are incredibly important! You’ve all heard this before, but allyship isn’t just about education, but also about not being afraid to speak up and have conversations with each other! This month’s theme is so intersectional that almost anyone can participate.
What are you choosing to challenge this month?
Chantal: I’m challenging myself to take more risks. I am naturally very thoughtful and I like to lay things out very strategically, no rock unturned.
But like my husband says “scared money doesn’t make money” (he plays poker). I see the benefits of taking informed risks and I’m blessed to have people like him in my life who are good at it. So, that’s something I’m challenging this month.
Tessa: There are so many that I’m hoping to challenge! To Chantal’s point, I need to take more risks and be comfortable with being scared and uncertain. I think that’ll play into what I choose to challenge this month… and that’s self-doubt — whether that’s for myself or advocating for those who may be feeling the same.
